


Codename: Charmer

by floralb0t



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Deacon's Recall Code, Fluff, Gen, Just some good ole friendship, Kinda found family?, Not written as a ship fic!, One-Shot, Oneshot, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 02:37:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15063182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floralb0t/pseuds/floralb0t
Summary: Deacon wasn't sure that Charmer was a good nickname for the railroad's new heavy, but he changes his mind.Just some short and fluffy character exploration!





	Codename: Charmer

**Author's Note:**

> I just started playing fallout for the first time, and I really really love Deacon. This is 100% inspired by my own reaction to his recall code nonsense.

“You’ll need a codename.” Desdemona looked the newbie up and down. They would make a good heavy, but she wasn’t sure what to make of them other than that. Neither was Deacon.

“How about ‘Charmer’?” The rookie’s glasses glinted in the candlelight as they spoke.

He’d worked with them, and they did the job well, efficiently, and seemed to know exactly what to say in tough situations. But the few personal conversations they’d had? Deacon wasn’t sure he’d call the rookie a “Charmer”, but he’d have to wait and see. There was something sly about the way they said it.

 

 

“You know,” Deacon yelled over their gun firing, “I was planning on having a nice relaxing day at the base before you asked for my help!”

Charmer fired their weapon a few more times until they were sure the super mutant was dead. They both did a quick search of the area to make sure that that was the last of them, before Charmer crossed the raider-made walkway back toward him. “Oh well, uhm I think that there’s probably only a few left.” They leaned down to grab some bullets off a dead raider, a victim of earlier. “It’s just mostly looting from here on out, if you’d wanna head back?”

Deacon also leaned down and picked up some loose ammo as well. It wasn’t for a gun he had on him, but at least he could sell it. He’d probably get a damn good price, with how ammo is selling. “Oh, no I’m having fun. Promise.”

He could see their eyebrows get pulled down to underneath their sunglasses. “Okay. Well, thanks, Deacon. If you do wanna head out, just let me know.” They turned away to head towards the bodies of the super mutants. When they probably thought they had turned far enough so he couldn’t see their face, Charmer pulled off their sunglasses and bandanna, using the latter to wipe the former clean of blood.

It was the first time he’d seen their mouth when they weren’t smiling.

 

"What are you doing?" Deacon was leaning against a pole, in the middle of the room, in the basement of some sort of supermutant lair, watching Charmer attempt to hack a terminal for the fourth time. "How do you expect this to go any differently?"

Charmer had their bandanna tied extra tight to try and keep the smell of rot out, and it was squishing their nose. "I almost had it last time Deacon! Just one more, then I swear, we can leave."

All that was in the tiny sealed portion of the room was what looked like 10 mm rounds. Maybe a stimpak in the corner, Deacon couldn't quite see it enough to be sure though. He sighed and adjusted against the pillar. Just one more time, then they could leave, finally.

There was nothing but the creaking of old rusted metal and the occasional tap of computer keys for a few minutes, longer than he would have expected, but then -

"Yahooo!!!!" Charmer was damn near dancing in front of the terminal. Beside them, the door was slowly swinging open. While they were distracted, he ducked into the alcove and stripped it of anything worthwhile, even grabbing the gross used coffee mugs that Charmer always seemed to want for some Unkown reason. When he came back out, Charmer had taken off their bandanna and was wiping their face with it. 

Not only did it smell gross down here, it was hot as all get out, for some also unknown reason. He was surprised though, to see just how hard Charmer was grinning. It was just a terminal and some small rounds.

"Did you see that, Deacon? That was the hardest one yet and I still managed to do it!"

"What was the password, in the end?" He asked, while handing over what he didn't feel like carrying himself.

"Correspondent. Damn, what a hard one!" They stored the new belongings and retied their bandanna. "Is it obvious I had never done this before defrosting? I think I've been doing pretty well so far!"

Deacon wouldn't have expected that. It wasn't too hard to hack most terminals, but Charmer was usually much faster than most people. And to think they hadn't done this at all before waking up a few weeks ago? Well, Deacon gave the master level terminal a little poke as he passed it. Maybe that pride was well deserved after all.

 

There were some fun lights thrown up and around for the holidays. Diamond city made them both kind of uncomfortable, for different reasons, but he could see the wonder in Charmer’s face. It was their first Christmas after defrosting, after all.

Deacon was waiting around while Charmer did their needed bartering and he did his best to look inconspicuous to the guards wandering around. It was interesting to see his companions face mostly uncovered, but strange. The bandanna almost seemed to be as much a part of the rookie heavy as their hair or hands did. Charmer thought it was normal to remove the bandanna though, as some stupid old-world idea claimed that they’d be seen as more sincere. Sunglasses were fine though, apparently.

When Charmer finished up, they surprised him by not putting the bandanna back on, and instead taking the sunglasses off. It was dark now, so he couldn’t blame them. That said, he was really hoping they’d speed it along. The less time spent in Diamond City, the better. To his dismay, Charmer kept getting getting distracted by the sights and sounds of holiday cheer.

Deacon decided he couldn’t really blame them for being so distracted either. It was their first Christmas in the new world, and their first without their old family. Truth be told, Deacon wasn’t sure that Charmer had even been able to spend a full holiday season with their old spouse and the poor missing child before the world went to shit. With that awkward and unfortunate thought in mind, Deacon decided to stay quiet, and let them enjoy what they could. Life was usually too serious. This was a needed break.

Before they left the town though, Charmer stopped and reached deep into their pockets. “This sure is a nice season, about appreciation, and … Well, you seem to mention old world writers a lot, so I did some digging around and I found a holotape with a recording of some translated works?” Charmer handed him a small holotape. It didn’t look like anything special, but this had to have been pretty hard to find. That was if they weren’t joshing him right back.

“Uh, thanks.”

They were wringing their hands together slightly. “I haven’t read any Proust, so I’m not sure how this compares to his other works, or whether this is like the middle of some series or not. But hopefully, it’s still interesting!” There was that dorky grin, squishing their eyes up at the corners.

Oh. So this was why they went with “Charmer”. Deacon could feel himself getting sucked in by the goofball.

 

 

“Hey, Deacon?” Charmer was leaning over a ruined desk, and whispering over their shoulder. “I found something I think you’ll like!”

There was that too earnest voice again. He couldn’t see that smile, but he was sure they were wearing it. What a dork. “What’s up?”

As they pulled back over the desk, Deacon made eye contact with two handfuls of flamer fuel. Oh. Oh shit! The flamer he’d been carrying for them because they’d forgotten to leave it back in Sanctuary Hills!

“Catch!” They yelled as the tossed bottle after bottle. Deacon’s excitement grew. Clearing out raiders was _much_ more fun when you could set them on fire. When Charmer had finally passed them all over, they were laughing, giddy.

God this was just adorable. Now was the perfect time. “Hey, Charmer, I think I have something for you too. But, first I’d like to talk, if you’re interested?”

Charmer flopped down into the mostly intact chair in front of the desk. “What do you want to talk about?” There were some raiders somewhere in the basement level they had yet to take care of, but if they thought that could wait, then he had no problem getting into it.

“I’m used to flying solo. But I gotta admit, working with you makes me think I’ve been missing out. Having someone watching your back,” He paused, trying to gauge their emotions, “it’s pretty refreshing.”

Charmer took a second to absorb this, before trying to slyly wipe their eyes under the sunglasses. Wow, already? Deacon was going to blow them _away_ with the rest then, he was sure.

  


It had been a week, and they still hadn’t read it. Too pure. But by this point, the goof was running a bit thin. Deacon had tried bringing it up every time they talked but that too trusting frozen dinner of a human still hadn’t read it!

Charmer was sitting on the dumb couch they had hauled up on top of a makeshift steel shelter they’d been sleeping in in Sanctuary Hills. Dogmeat was … nearby somewhere, but still on guard, and there were a couple other people around; both settlers and friends of the sole survivor. This wasn’t going to do any harm, but it was nice knowing he could safely distract them to _finally_ finish this.

“You know,” Deacon called as he climbed the stairs up to their weird little rooftop-hangout, startling them out of the book they’d been reading. “I’m really starting to have second thoughts on the whole recall code.”

They weren’t wearing the bandanna, apparently too comfortable at home to hide half their face, so Deacon could see just how bright red the heavy flushed. It was so hard not to laugh at the situation. “Wait! You read it, didn’t you?”

Their red face somehow got even brighter.

“Oh come on Charmer, tell me the truth!”

The book was closed and set on the couch beside them, and it looked like Charmer was actually going to put their bandanna back on. Oh goodness, they were so embarrassed! How did this happen?

“I know you said I shouldn’t! Not unless it was absolutely needed!” Charmer’s hands were wringing together again, but a little white knuckled with nerves. “But you kept mentioning it!!”

“Oh, no. Don’t tell me what it said!” Deacon threw up his hands in mock shock and fear.

“Well, then you should have thought of that before you kept bringing it up, Deacon! If I say ‘Radroaches’, and then ask you not to think of radroaches, you’re definitely going to!” Charmer stood up and poked a finger into his chest. From this distance, Deacon could see their eyes behind the sunglasses and they looked both angry and amused.

Had they seen through the ruse?

Well, that would make how red they are very appropriate. It’s not often someone takes a week to figure out he’s messing with them.

“‘You Can’t Trust Everyone’.” Each work was punctuated with another poke.

The fake convulsions Deacon launched into almost had them both falling off Charmer’s rooftop chill space, but Deacon caught them both with a laugh.

“Did I really have you going for a week, Charmer?” He laughed as they flopped back down onto the couch, obviously annoyed. “Don’t take it personally, I lie to everyone. Maybe I’m just a human who has people back home I want to protect, just like you. Or maybe not.”

They looked away from him, and pulled their bandanna out of a pocket, tying it deftly around their face. Almost under their breath, Charmer started muttering. It was obvious they were actually kind of annoyed, but at the same time, this was _Charmer_ , the most transparently forgiving and good-natured person he’d ever met.

“Well, you’re good in my books. Who, or what, ever you are.” They paused, looking out at the settlement. “As long as you don’t scare me like that again. Asshole.”

Deacon sighed, maybe that had been a little much. “I want …” He paused when they turned back to look at him. Or at least back in his direction, the sunglasses and bandanna made them almost unreadable. “If you believe anything, believe this. I'm in your corner. Always have been.”

Charmer gave a little noise of surprise - absolutely adorable - and grabbed their book again. Under the reflective sunglasses, he couldn’t be sure where they were looking, but with how deeply their face was shoved into the book? It couldn’t have been anywhere else.

“Charmer, hey. I’ll leave you to it in a sec, can I finish talking?”

They didn’t answer for a moment. “...no.” They cleared their throat, still hiding behind some old world paper. “I’m too embarrassed to talk to you right now.”

Deacon chuckled. Sure it had taken a little getting used to, but the rookie, well, they certainly were one hell of a charmer. Besides, he’d be sticking around. They could always finish this conversation later.

This was one corner that he had no intention of leaving.


End file.
